Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana: Initiative by government of India to encourage gender equality

Abstract

Women have fewer opportunities to participate in the economy than men, less access to primary and higher education, greater health and safety risks and less political representation. Gender equality means that men and women have equal power and equal opportunities to achieve financial independence, education and personal development. Although the world is making progress towards achieving gender equality in education, the percentage of out-of-school children is still higher among girls than among boys. Usually, the education of their sons is preferred by families with limited income who cannot afford expenses such as school fees, uniforms and supplies for all their children. An educated girl is more likely to prevent from early marriage, raise a smaller family, have healthier children and send her children to school. Maternal health is also of particular concern. In many countries, women have limited access to prenatal and child care and are more likely to experience complications during pregnancy and childbirth. This is a critical issue in countries where girls marry and have children before they are ready, often before the age of 18. The Government of India is implementing separate initiatives for the welfare of women to eliminate gender inequality and change people's attitudes. Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana is one of them and it is a small deposit scheme aimed at financing the education and marriage expenses of female children. It is access to safe, easy and affordable saving scheme for girls’ parents and also, it’s a national financial inclusion mission based on Beti Bachao Beti Padhao or Inclusive Growth. It aims to ensure access to affordable financial services such as banking/savings, education, health, marriage and equality services. The proposed study would be based on the important aspects of the SSY scheme, which would lead to a concrete initiative towards gender equality and women's empowerment.